Phone

Fax

Email

Location

UNCP Student Spotlight

Undergraduate Program

Programs of study in Social Studies Education offered by the Department of History include both undergraduate and graduate degrees. A licensure program in Secondary (9-12) and Middle Grades (6-9) Social Studies Education and Academic Concentrations in History and American Studies for prospective teachers are offered at the undergraduate level. Both the Secondary and Middle Grades licensure programs in Social Studies Education have been approved by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the North Carolina Board of Education.

Bachelor of Arts degree in history: Secondary Social Studies Education (B.A. in history: SSE). The Department of History offers an academic discipline that offers students full preparation for licensure as teachers of the social studies in grades 9-12. This program — which meets North Carolina Department of Public Instruction requisites — has four major components:

general education;

the history major;

a collateral requirement in the social sciences;

and professional education coursework.

Licensure candidates must satisfy the UNCP general education mandates and the History Department’s requirements for a B.A. Though identical with the academic path that other history majors must follow in terms of framework and number of hours necessary, the history major for licensure candidates requires the prospective teacher to complete coursework that specifically prepares her or him to teach history in a secondary school setting. Hence the history major for licensure candidates specifies several courses, thus reducing the number of electives that the student may choose. Licensure candidates must also meet requirements in social studies and professional education, as well as the state Board of Education’s competency criteria. Furthermore, students seeking to enter this program must satisfy all conditions for admission to the UNCP teacher education program and for admission to the professional semester (i.e., internship, a.k.a. “student teaching”). Obviously, students hopeful of earning a B.A. in history: SSE should realize that this program calls for preparation beyond the requirements for a B.A. in history without licensure. Occasionally, SSE and General Education requirements will overlap; in such cases, duplication of coursework is unnecessary. This dispensation does not extend, however, to courses listed as professional credits for teacher licensure. Before registering for any courses, students pursuing secondary social studies licensure must confer with the Social Studies Education program coordinator in the History Department.